“His nursery, Miniatree.com,
sells more than 100,000 seeds a year as well as 1,000
papyrifera plants. A 4-inch seedling costs $55, and
fully mature trees can sell for up to $1,000.”
—
“Dutch and Ethiopian researchers studying populations
of the scraggly, scrub-like trees in northern Ethiopia
found that as many as 7% of the trees are dying each
year, and seedlings are not surviving into saplings.”

“An unusually hot melting season in 2010 accelerated
ice loss in southern Greenland by 100 billion tons –
and large portions of the island’s bedrock rose
an additional quarter of an inch in response - and some
areas rose by nearly three-quarters of an inch.”

“In calculating the proportion of UK farmland
likely to become more fertile, the models' answers ranged
from 60% to 99% - pretty firm stuff - and only one projected
any losses in any parts of the country.

“The flooding picture, however, is different,
with estimates ranging from a 56% reduction in flood
risk to a 180% increase.”

“Global temperatures in 2011 ... are higher
than any previous year with a La Nina event, which has
a relative cooling influence, ...

“The WMO report said the extent of Arctic sea
ice in 2011 was the second lowest on record, and its
volume was the lowest.”
—
“ "They are very rapidly approaching levels
consistent with a 2-2.4 degree Centigrade rise in average
global temperatures which scientists believe could trigger
far reaching and irreversible changes in our Earth,
biosphere and oceans."

“Russia experienced the largest variation from
average, with its northern parts seeing January to October
temperatures about 4 degrees C higher in several places,
it said.

“U.N. scientists said in a separate report this
month an increase in heat waves is almost certain, while
heavier rainfall, more floods, stronger cyclones, landslides
and more intense droughts are likely across the globe
this century as the Earth's climate warms...”

“They found that one-fourth of the fish samples
with identifiable DNA were mislabeled. A piece of sushi
sold as the luxury treat white tuna turned out to be
Mozambique tilapia, a much cheaper fish that is often
raised by farming. Roe supposedly from flying fish was
actually from smelt. Seven of nine samples that were
called red snapper were mislabeled, and they turned
out to be anything from Atlantic cod to Acadian redfish,
an endangered species.

“What may be most impressive about the experiment
is the ease with which the students accomplished it.
Although the testing technique is at the forefront of
research, the fact that anyone can take advantage of
it by sending samples off to a laboratory meant the
kind of investigative tools once restricted to Ph.D.’s
and crime labs can move into the hands of curious diners
and amateur scientists everywhere.” [Quoted from
nytimes.com]

“Restaurants around the world will soon use new
DNA technology to assure patrons they are being served
the genuine fish fillet or caviar they ordered, rather
than inferior substitutes, an expert in genetic identification
says.

“In October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
officially approved so-called DNA barcoding - a standardized
fingerprint that can identify a species like a supermarket
scanner reads a barcode - to prevent the mislabeling
of both locally produced and imported seafood in the
United States. Other national regulators around the
world are also considering adopting DNA barcoding as
a fast, reliable and cost-effective tool for identifying
organic matter.” [Quoted from hosted.ap.org]

“The world is likely to build so many fossil-fuelled
power stations, energy-guzzling factories and inefficient
buildings in the next five years that it will become
impossible to hold global warming to safe levels, and
the last chance of combating dangerous climate change
will be "lost for ever", according to the
most thorough analysis yet of world energy infrastructure.

“Anything built from now on that produces carbon
will do so for decades, and this "lock-in"
effect will be the single factor most likely to produce
irreversible climate change, the world's foremost authority
on energy economics has found. If this is not rapidly
changed within the next five years, the results are
likely to be disastrous.”
—
“If the world is to stay below 2°C of warming,
which scientists regard as the limit of safety, then
emissions must be held to no more than 450 parts per
million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; the
level is currently around 390ppm. But the world's existing
infrastructure is already producing 80% of that "carbon
budget", according to the IEA's
analysis, published on Wednesday. This gives an
ever-narrowing gap in which to reform the global economy
on to a low-carbon footing.

“If current trends continue, and we go on building
high-carbon energy generation, then by 2015 at least
90% of the available "carbon budget" will
be swallowed up by our energy and industrial infrastructure.
By 2017, there will be no room for manoeuvre at all
– the whole of the carbon budget will be spoken
for, according to the IEA's calculations.”

Pushing thru the market square, so many mothers sighing
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry
in
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not
lying ...